9.27.2016

Ricotta Cavatelli And Some Exciting News :)

I’m back!! I can’t believe it has been this long since my last post. A lot has happened since then. I took a much needed break to adjust to my new life. Before I go into detail, let me just say how much I missed you and I couldn’t wait to come back! Even though I have been active on my social media, it’s never the same.

So to start my update, Tom (my better half) Lucas and I moved to Long Island, NY. We bought a cozy house where we hope to start fresh, and raise our family. We are still close to Manhattan but with all the benefits that a suburban life has to offer. I’m very happy here. What else is new? oh yeah, I’m very excited to announce that I’m expecting my second child, a baby girl. She will be here any day now! I’m nervous but super happy to meet and welcome her. I can’t wait to see her little face.

Now that you know what I’ve been up to these days, I will go ahead and share an awesome recipe with you, Ricotta Cavatelli. This is a perfect recipe if you want to make your own pasta. The dough is so beautiful to work with, it feels therapeutic. Cavatelli is very easy to shape and those ridges will help grab the sauce so beautifully. There are endless sauces you can use with cavatelli, it’s a blank canvas for whatever you are craving. I’m happy to be back. Back with lots of new recipes and I can’t wait to share them all with you!

Ricotta Cavatelli

(Makes about 1 pound of pasta)

Ingredients:

225g all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)

8oz whole milk ricotta cheese

1 large egg

Mix all the ingredients either by hand or mixer using the dough attachment. Once the dough comes together, knead it by hand for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic film and let it rest for 1 hour or a minimum of 30 minutes. Cut the dough in half. Working with one half at a time (cover the remaining dough to prevent it from drying out), lightly flour your working surface and roll the dough into about 1/4 inch rope. With a bench scraper or knife, cut the dough into 1/2-inch pieces. Using a gnocchi board, gently press down on each piece, rolling over each onto itself, forming the cavatelli shape. Transfer the pasta to a lightly floured board. Boil it in salted water for about 6 minutes, before adding it to your sauce. You can also freeze it for later use.

Note: You can shape the cavatelli without a gnocchi board, just use a small wood cutting board.